Half-Breeds
by rebelforcauses
Summary: "You're beautiful." "Thanks, it's in the job description."
1. 1968 the beginning of the end

**SUMMARY;** Leonie Bellamy is a half-breed, half Veela, half human. She's beautiful, but still only half-human. Remus Lupin is a werewolf. He's sweet, but still a monster. And so both children's parents shut them away from the world in hope that their boarded up windows will protect their children. If only it were that easy, children are curious rule-breaking beings who on their best day will only paint on the walls. On their worst day, they'll sneak out of the house and meet others like them.

* * *

Leonie Bellamy can clearly remember when she first met Remus Lupin, the two of them were eight years old, it was a hot July afternoon and they'd both wanted to swim by the lake near their house, so they snuck out of their homes, his father was at work while his mother was homesick and her mother was passed out on the couch, fingers curled around the stem of an empty wine glass, only to see the other on opposite ends of the lake.

Leonie, who, every night for the past eight years, had been told that _Men are monsters and their sons are no different_ , wanted to run when she saw a boy across the lake. But she was curious. Like the child who, despite being told not to touch the stove, touches it anyway, she waved to the boy, who after a moment, waved back.

Remus, rooted to the ground, all but physically screamed at his legs to turn the other way and run. His father, ever since he could remember, had told him not to get close to other people, that the monster beneath his skin could hurt them; _That they would hurt him if they knew what he really was_. And yet he waved back because when he saw the cautious smile on the girls face something deep within his mind knew that she meant no harm.

That like him, she was lonely.

The two of them met in the middle of the lake. Her golden hair spread around them and his thin arms created tiny waves between them as he moved them to stay afloat.

"Hi." She was the first to speak. Her voice was quiet and delicate, fragile like the china his mother kept on the shelf in the dining room. As he continued to look at her he noticed the sharp features under her skin. That despite the round curves of her face everything about her felt shape.

"I'm Remus."

"Leonie." It's quite for a moment, neither child knows what to say to the other; Leonie had practiced what she'd say to another child on her dolls, only as she kicked out her legs beneath her, she couldn't remember any of the one-sided conversations she and the porcelain dolls had had.

"Do you live around here?" Remus wondered.

Leonie nodded she turned her body slightly and pointed in the direction she'd come from, "Just over that way." She turned to the boy, "Do you?"

Remus mirrored her previous motions and pointed in the direction of his home, "I live just over the hill. Did you just move here?" He'd remember someone so odd. So pretty.

"No, I've lived here my whole life."

"Oh," Remus' eyebrows came together, "I've never seen you here before."

"My mother," Leonie nodded, "She doesn't like me out of her sight, so when she's not working we'll come here at night."

"And your dad? He doesn't mind you're here alone?" Remus asked.

Leonie frowned, "I don't have a dad."

"Everyone has a dad," Remus told her.

"Well I don't," she snapped. _Veela's, they attract men, they don't keep them,_ her mother had once told her.

It was quiet for a moment. "Do you want to play Marco Polo?" Remus asked in a small voice. He didn't want her mad at him; whenever he'd imagined meeting another child, someone his age he pictured making friends with them-maybe his father was right. Maybe all he could do was hurt people.

"What's that?" She wondered, her lips still pressed together somewhat angrily.

"It's a game. One of us closes our eyes and yells 'Marco' while the other swims away yelling 'Polo'."

"How do you win?"

"The person with their eyes closed has to catch the other person; you've never played this before?" Leonie shook her head. Her mother chasing her around may have happened when she was a small child, before the world had twisted and bittered the older Bellamy woman, but not now. Never now.

"Well, I can be Marco first then," Remus offered hopefully.

"Alright," Leonie nodded. Remus shut his eyes and Leonie swam away from him.

"Marco!"

"Polo!" Leonie shouted back as Remus swam her way. It was a such a simple game of catch, and yet neither child could help but grin as they wasted the afternoon away, chasing and catching the other.

As Leonie swam out of Remus's reach once again she couldn't help but remember what her mother had taught her about men, how they were monsters not to be trifled with, and yet, as Remus laughed at her evading him she couldn't help but wonder just how this sweet boy could be a monster.

Remus, with his eyes closed, jumped at Leonie with a splash, when he pictured his father at the end of the lake, reminding him not to get close to people, because somehow that this tiny speck of a girl could hurt him. Remus couldn't imagine how someone like Leonie could ever hurt a monster like himself and yet he couldn't help but hear his father's words on repeat as he continued to chase after her.

"Are you alright?" Leonie asked.

Remus, with his eyes still closed, stop moving towards her. "What?"

"You're sad," he didn't question how she knew that, "Why?"

"Why do you care?" The words tumbled from his mouth before he could stop them.

"Because you're my friend." Remus opened his eyes and looked at Leonie, whose shoulders were hunched over and whose jaw was clenched out of nervousness. Like he'd turn her away.

"You want me to be your friend?"

She nodded.

"Do you-" she mumbled, Remus was sure if it weren't for his advanced hearing he would have missed her question, "Do you want to be mine?"

"Of course!" He had a friend!

Remus opened his mouth to say something to Leonia only for the words to catch in his throat when he heard his father's voice call out his name. It was the Remus noticed that the sun wasn't above him anymore, but rather sinking below the trees as the blue sky turned pink.

"I have to go home," Remus said instead. Though Leonie frowned she nodded understanding. "I should go home too." Though neither child made any move to leave in fear that if they did they'd never see their new friend again.

"Can you come back in two days?" Remus asked. Leonie stopped frowning and nodded,

"Noon? I'll bring snacks," Leonie offered, to which Remus nodded his head, "I'll bring board games."

"Can't wait!" Leonie had never said anything truer, she couldn't wait, the thought of spending two days locked in her home, being suffocated by silence and dolls who never answered back, made her want to scream.

"I'll see you then!" And as Remus ran home towards his mother and father, thinking of Leonie and how he finally had a friend, he knew that the loneliness he had known for the past four years would be no more, because he finally had a friend!


	2. 1975 fur and birthday cakes

When Leonie Bellamy threw open her front door and jumped into Remus Lupin outstretched arms she didn't see her mother standing behind her on top of the staircase, looking down on the pair of them with disapproving eyes. But Remus did. As his arms wound around Leonie's slim frame, one hand settling on her hip and the other resting against the middle of her back he caught sight of the monster of a woman he'd met four years ago all but hissing at him to get his hands off her daughter.

When he did unattach himself from Leonie he waved at Miss. Bellamy, who, in a cool, emotionless, voice addressed him as "Mr. Lupin," before stalking off to her room.

"I don't think your mum likes me very much," Remus smiled at Leonie. Not that he blamed her; if he were a parent he wouldn't want a monster such as himself around his child. Not that he'd ever be a parent, something inside him- sounding strangely similar to what his father sounded like -reminded him, because not only would it be selfish to risk passing on his disease to a poor innocent child, but no woman would be willing to put up with poverty due to his lack of a job and the discrimination werewolves and their lovers face and it would be selfish and wrong to ask her to do such.

"Stop that," Leonie snapped, hitting his arm, feeling self-loathing and pity roll off him. "Whatever you're thinking to stop it before you ruin my birthday."

Remus smiled apologetically, instead of pointing out that despite the fact they were celebrating her birthday now, she had turned fifteen a week of go.

"Sorry, Lenny."

Another reason her mother hated him, he called her Lenny - _'A mans name,'_ the Veela said distastefully when she heard it for the first time. The scathing look she'd shot his eleven-year-old self-had been burned into his memory.

She shrugged. "Now," she smiled, "Where's my present?" Remus' mouth, in mock hurt, fell open.

"What I'm not enough?" Leonie giggled as he pressed a hand against his chest.

"No you nerd."

"You know if you're going to call me a nerd I might not give you your present," teased Remus as he stuck his hands his pocket. Leonie opened her mouth to protest only for the dry, unentertained voice of Leonie's other best friend, Dorcas Meadowes to cut her off.

"Can't you just give her the bloody present so I don't have to watch this love fest anymore?"

"Meadowes," Lupin said just unenthusiastically, "You're here." Maybe it was because Dorcas Meadowes was constantly calling him out, maybe it was because he just didn't want to share the title Leonie Bellamy's best friend with anyone, but for whatever the reason may be, no matter how hard she tried, Leonie couldn't get Remus to warm up to Dorcas like she had with his friends.

Dorcas rolled her eyes at Lupin and Leonie shot her a pleading look, "Can the two of you be nice to each other, just for today, please?" Both teens sighed,

"Fine. Lovely to see you Lupin, now stop flirting with my best friend and give her the bloody present." Leonie, with bright pink cheeks, felt Remus shift next to her and embarrassment roll off him like ink on an Aguary's back.

"I-we weren't-" Remus turned to Leonie and pulled out a small golden locket. It was obviously second hand or third hand, the bale was silver and the chain wasn't even a chain- it was a worn leather -and yet Leonie couldn't help but beam at the present.

At breakfast her mother had presented her with a pearl necklace, _'Something every lady should own,'_ and Dorcas herself had gifted Leonie with an enchanted watch that let Leonie know if she was late for something, but Dorcas mentally noted as Lupin put the necklace on Leonie, the smile she had on when they'd given her those gifts were nothing compared to smile she had on now.

If she didn't know her best friend was head over heels for the Gryffindor then she would have been offended, but she did, and instead, she felt bad for Leonie-bad that she was in love with a boy who couldn't see she was offering him everything.

"So when are the guys getting here?" Remus asked Leonie as they walked up the stairs. "James owled me and said he and Sirius would floo here around noon, Pete said he'd try to get here when he could." Remus nodded and then turned to Meadowes.

"How long have you been here?" He wondered with a tight smile as he threw an arm over Leonie's shoulders.

"Few days," the dark-skinned female said as the three of them made their way into the living room. "I got here right before the cousins left." Remus and Leonie sat on the couch, he tucked her under his shoulder while Dorcas sat stretched out on the loveseat across from them.

"How was that?" Remus wondered.

"Fine, why?" He shrugged; when he had met her cousins he'd been thirteen and they'd all been older full blooded Veelas, who- to him, due to his lycanthropy -despite their magnetic appeal, looked like monsters with sharp teeth and pointed claws they called nails.

"No reason just wanted to know if you made a fool of yourself." Leonie elbowed Remus in his ribs, which caused him slightly jolt forward and press his hand against his ribs.

"Merlin Lenny," he groaned as Dorcas and Leonie snickered.

"I said be nice."

"Got it."

"And to answer your question," Leonie told Remus proudly, "Doe did amazing. I've never seen someone act so unaffected by Veela's before." Remus tilted his head back and momentary eyed the girl, he had been able to see what they truly looked like, and even he had wanted to impress them.

"How'd you manage that?" He asked.

Dorcas shrugged, "Willpower?" Remus pressed his lips together and nodded, not buying it, but not pointing out her complete and utter lie in the name of Leonie's birthday.

"So are you two ready to go back to school?" Dorcas wondered.

Both Leonie and Remus nod, "I can't wait for Astronomy," Leonie said.

"Ew," Remus commented jokingly.

"Shut up Lupin," The half-Veela laughed, "Space is so much groovier than Redcaps and Cornish Pixies."

"Dueling's more fun than looking through a telescope for two hours."

Leonie turned to Dorcas, "What class is more fun, Defense or Astronomy?"

"Potions." Both Leonie and Remus groaned loudly.

"Fuck off," Dorcas swore, "It's not my fault Slughorn hates the two of you." That wasn't completely true, while the Hogwarts resident potions master hated Leonie he only didn't like Remus. He didn't like Remus because the first day of classes tiny eleven-year-old Remus who'd read all the textbooks and still didn't exactly know how to properly talk to people rambled on about the use of bezords for ten minutes and mentioned how they're _'Fucking rare as shit'._

He hated Leonie because in her second year, after everyone found out that she was half-Veela, half-human, she nearly set him and the entry of his classroom on fire after Mary MacDonald called her a slut.

"I told him I was sorry," Leonie blushed at the memory of throwing a small fireball at Mary MacDonalds' head and missing, only for it to catch the ends of his shimmering green robes, "It's not like I was aiming for him, I was trying to get MacDonald."

Dorcas snorted, "I'm sure you're not the first student to set a Professor on fire nor will you be the last."

The three, for a moment, become silent. Dorcas shifted her body so that while her head rested against one arm of the loveseat her legs were thrown over the other while her arms are piled on top of her stomach, while Remus pulled Leonie closer to him. And then, in a very James-and-Sirius fashion, a large explosion of green flames erupted from the fireplace, shaking the whole house, only for the two dark-haired boys to shoot out, each holding a large, colorfully wrapped, box.

"James! Sirius!" Leonie laughed, she got up from the couch as James realized his thick bifocal glasses had fallen off somewhere between the tumble from the fireplace and his landing at the base of the Bellamy's coffee table. Sirius laid not even six inches away from his best friend, moaning about how that had been their last adventure-"I'm dying. The world, it's upside down, it's-"

"Sit up Black," Dorcas commented from the loveseat.

"Oh Meadowes!" Sirius cried as Leonie handed James his glasses- they had settled by the bookcase only a few feet away from him -"Is that you? Come here love, please just-"

"Sirius be quite," Remus hissed, his eyeing the hallway that lead from the living room to the three bedrooms in the house, "Before you wake up Miss. Bellamy." Sirius leaned up on his elbows and turned to Leonie who was chatting with a then standing James,

"Oi Lenny!" The blonde turned to the long-haired male as he stood up, present still in hand, "How is your dear mum?"

"My mother is fine, Sirius-" Leonie grimaced, that couldn't have been farther from the truth, "Thank you for asking. How's yours?"

"Great, was raving about Regulus-" he said his younger brothers name distastefully, "-Should have been her first and only son."

"That sucks," Sirius was a good friend to both Leonie- who could feel his emotions, the hurt he experienced -and Remus, one of his best friends, and neither believed that he deserved to have Walburga Black as a mother.

"So you're fifteen now," James grinned, "Want to show us what's under that pretty face?" Leonie froze.

"I'm good." Everyone frowned.

"Come on love," Sirius insisted, "You won't scare us off if that's what you're worried about."

"That's okay," Leonie smiled stiffly, "I'm good."

Remus' frown deepened as he eyed an uncomfortable looking Leonie. Ever since they'd come clean about what they were- magical pariahs, half-breeds -she hadn't stopped talking about turning fifteen. About being able to transform like a real Veela, about once she's fifteen she can finally prove herself to her mother and aunts and cousins who looked down on her for being half-human.

"Why not?" Dorcas asked, throwing her legs off the arm of the chair, "You are able to transform, right?" They'd learned in Defense, back in their third year, when they'd learned about Beings; that some half-Veela's couldn't transform because they just weren't Veela enough, the concept of not being enough was something that Leonie had always feared.

"I can," she told her friends in a weak voice, "I just-I didn't transform properly."

Worry shot through Remus, "What do you mean you didn't transform properly?"

"I mean I didn't grow a beak and feathers like the rest of my family!" Leonie fell back onto the couch, "I didn't transform properly." She whispered woefully. Remus knelt in front of her as the others crowded around her- Dorcas perched herself on the arm of the couch while James hovered behind Remus and Sirius sat next to Leonie -Remus, with one hand, gently pried her hands from her face while tipping her chin up with the other,

"So you didn't transform properly, do you think that we care?" _Do you think that I care?_ Leonie shook her head.

"You'll be the most beautifully frightening half-being we've ever seen, so-" Leonie smiled weakly as Remus's fingers threaded themselves through her hair and his thumb rested against the arch of her cheek, "Why don't you show us what you're really hiding?" Though she nodded Remus didn't drop his hand. Instead, as she shut her eyes and took a deep breath in the strands of blonde hair he'd been holding turned to a white fur and like Leonie had said, she hadn't sprouted a beak, but instead a long, canine-like muzzle appeared.

 _A wolf,_ Remus stared at her, air caught in his throat, _she transformed into a wolf._


	3. 1975 choke on your emotions

A week after having showed her friends her other half Leonie Bellamy stood in front of a smiling Hope Lupin. Hope smiled, true to her name she shined like a star surround in darkness. And while it had always made Leonie feel warm, Hope smiling at her as if she were her own daughter, seeing the kind looking woman standing in the door made her want to cry.

"Lenny, it's so nice to see you dear." Dear, her mother never called her dear, always Leonie, in the same cold, disinterested voice she always had.

"It's nice to see you too Mrs. Hope, is Remus here?" Leonie swept her right palm against the side of her floral skirt. Hope had been always so wonderful to be around because her emotions were always so nice to read; she had always been so positive.

"No, he's with Lyall at the moment, though they should be back shortly," Hope told her apologetically. Leonie felt herself grimace.

"Oh," she took a deep breath in and flashed an obviously fake smile at Hope, "That's okay, uh-can you please tell him I stopped by?" Leonie asked, her fingers curled inward and her nails bit into the skin of her palm.

"Of course dear," Hope nodded, "Though if you want to wait for him inside with me I just made cookies." It was then Leonie noticed that Hope was wearing her signature apron that across her chest, read: _My cooking is magical._

Leonie hesitated, before politely asking what kind of cookie.

"Oatmeal raisin for you and chocolate for Remus and Lyall," she told the half-Veela before moving aside and letting her into the tiny cottage. The two women walked into the kitchen and Hope, being the gracious hostess and doting mother hen, she was, offered Leonie a cup of dark tea. To which, once she swallowed the bite of oatmeal raisin, the teen gratefully accepted.

"Now," Hope said, sitting across from Leonie as the kettle set to boil, "What's the matter dear?"

"Nothing," Leonie automatically denied. Hope raised an eyebrow and Leonie, feeling what Hope was, practically heard the older woman call her a liar.

"I think I disgust Remus," Leonie told her ruefully.

Hope, frowned and reached across the table to grab Leonie's, asked; "Now why would think something as silly as that." Leonie felt her bottom lip wobble.

"Because I can't transform properly. I showed everyone when we were celebrating my birthday and now Remus hasn't spoken to me in a week!"

Merlin, a week, neither of them had ever gone this long without talking to the other- even on the rare occasion when they were mad at the other they'd never avoided the other for a week -so he had to hate her! Leonie's gaze dropped to the white tabletop as she felt tears quell up in her eyes at the thought of her best friend destating her.

"Lenny, dear, look at me," Leonie looked at Hope, who with a warm reassuring smile told her that there was _no way Remus could ever find her disgusting_. "Especially when you're so pretty."

Leonie chuckled. "You think so?"

"I know so," Hope said firmly as the the kettle started to scream. She slowly got up to serve the tea when the front door opened the voice of Lyall Lupin rang through the house.

"Hope?"

"I'm in the kitchen love! Lenny's here too!" Both Remus and Lyall appeared in the archway that lead in and out of the kitchen. The two looked so similar and yet so different. While Remus had Hope's whiskey colored eyes he'd inherited Lyall's brown hair and jaw, along with the older mans broad shoulders, and once upon a time, before he'd accidentally broke his nose third year causing a slight crick in it, Remus had inherited his father's nose as well.

"Hi Mr. Lyall, Remus." Lyall, who'd once been so against Leonie and Remus' friendship smiled at the girl as he wandered of to his wife and pressed a loving, chaste kiss against the corner of her mouth. Leonie, and Remus, smiled at the couples affection. Though Remus rolled his eyes at his parents.

"So," Lyall wondered, snagging a chocolate chip cookie from the floral plate it was on, "Ready for O.W.L's?"

"I guess," Leonie shrugged, "I'm kind of nervous I'll do terribly." Lyall waved the girl off.

"With your brain, you'll do amazing." Leonie blushed under the compliment and bashfully thanked him. She then turned to Remus;

"Can we talk?" Remus scrapped his top front teeth over his bottom lip, hesitating, before he nodded.

"Sure." Leonie got up from the chair and made sure to push it back in before following Remus down the hall and into his room.

The small room hadn't changed much since they were eight. The walls were still painted a dark blue and his twin bed was still pushed up against the far wall, though he now had a desk under his window and hid dresser no longer had action figures on it, but rather books and the walls were longe bare, but instead littered with pictures of her and their friends.

"I'm sorry," Leonie apologise once the door was shut. Remus looked at her oddly as he leaned against the door.

"For what?" He asked confusedly.

"Disgusting you obviously," Leonie frowned.

"You don't disgust me, who said you did?"

"No one, but with how you've been avoiding me-"

"I haven't been avoiding you," Remus said, cutting Leonie off. He pushed off the wall but didn't take a step towards her, instead. The half-Veela leaned back, her lips pressed together and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Really?" She demanded.

"Yeah," Remus replied weakly. "I've just been busy."

"Doing what exactly? Avoiding me? Being repulsed-"

"I'm not avoiding you because you repulse me!" Remus cut her off again, "I'm avoiding you because it's my fault you didn't transform." His voice was soft and his eyes couldn't meet hers. His shoulders hunched forwards and he stuffed his hands deep into his pockets.

Sorrow, Leonie felt, Sorrow and regret. She frowned as she swallowed his lead like emotions.

"What do you mean it's your fault?" How could Remus possibly think her inability was his burden to bear? Leonie dropped her arms and took a small step closer to him, wondering just what was bouncing around in his big head.

"You really think that hanging out with a werewolf for half your life and transforming into a wolf is a conquincidence?"

"And?" Leonie asked. So Remus had a point, there were no such things as coincidences and the two probably had something to do with each other but Leonie couldn't find it in her to care because if it was true, and being able to make her mother proud meant never having met Remus, never being around him again, well then Leonie didn't want her mother's praise.

"So?" Remus parroted shrilly, "I'm the reason you can't the one thing you've always wanted!"

"And?" She shouted at him, her lip quivered and she felt hot angry tears start to leak out her eyes, "I don't care! I don't care! If it means not having you, my best friend in this whole fucking world, then so be it! Do you understand me Lupin?"

Remus looked at her with burning eyes and grabbed her. He pulled her close to his chest and hugged her tightly. The boys, James, Sirius and Peter had blindly accepted him when they were twelve. They had welcomed him into their band of troublemakers without a second thought, even after they'd discovered he was a monster, and they had broken the law for him and become unregistered animagi to help him through his darkest hours; but as he crushed Leonie, the girl he's known since he was eight, against his bony ribcage he knew none of them would ever come close to sharing the kind of bond they had.

And he was okay with never having another friendship of the same caliber, never forming a bond that even closely resembled what he and Leonie shared, because he knew there was no one in the world like Leonie Bellamy. Nor did he want there to be.


	4. 1975 deny deny deny

Remus and Leonie stood side by side on the magical platform of 9¾. Their shoulders brushed against one another as they bid a farewell to his parents, Leonie's mother, like she did every year, refused to come out to the platform to see her off, Leonie said she was okay with it but Remus knew her mother's decision hurt.

"Now Remus," His mother instructed him, her hands cupping his face while his father gave Leonie tips on homework and how to ward off boys, "I want you to have a great year and try not to get in too much trouble."

Remus smiled. Unlike James and Sirius who revealed in getting caught Remus didn't. He liked to pull pranks on Leonie's housemates just as much as his friends, but being at Hogwarts was a gift and he didn't want to blow it. Especially if half of the anti-werewolf propaganda the papers were saying was true.

"Course mum," Remus promised as his father released Leonie from the bearhug he'd caught her in. As the scarlet red train whistle blew loudly Hope smiled at her son and tipped his forehead forward to kiss it.

When Hope stepped back from Remus Leonie grabbed his wrist with one hand and her trunk in the other as they cut through the crowd of parents surrounding the train.

"So Mr. Prefect," she laughed, "Ready for fifth year?" Remus stepped into the train first and took Leonie's trunk from her so she wouldn't have to struggle to get it on the train like she did every year.

"Thank you Mr. Prefect," she teased as Remus pleaded with her to "Stop calling me that."

"Why? It's only just hit me that my best friend is a bloody prefect." The pair started down the row of compartments looking for their friends.

"Actually," the dry voice of Dorcas Meadowes said from behind her, "Lucida made prefect." Remus didn't bother to hide his eye roll as Leonie spun around to hug her friend.

"Meadowes, not even a full minute into fifth year and you're already ruining it." Leonie turned to Remus and shot him an annoyed glare.

"Can't the two of you get along?"

"No," Both Dorcas and Remus said simultaneously. They then both shot the other a tight smile. Leonie sighed.

"Hello tossers!" The loud voice of Sirius Black created the three. The boy threw an arm around Remus' shoulders and in an overdramatic flirtatious manner, winked at both Leonie and Dorcas.

"Hello Sirius," both girls chorused in a slightly amused tone while Remus pushed Sirius off him with his bony elbow.

"Merlin Moons," Sirius grinned as he jumped away from Remus, "That thing could be called a weapon." The four jolted as the train started to move out of the station.

"Told you we skinny!" Leonie cried triumphantly. The night before the pair had been in his room reading, she had tried to get comfortable next to him but unlike in the winter time when Remus would wear large, fluffy sweaters he had only been in a t-shirt, making it nearly impossible for her to cuddle up next to him.

"I didn't say I want," Remus huffed back. Leonie shot him a look.

"I'm not bony I'm lean," Leonie said in a deep voice.

"I do not sound like that!"

"Lupin right," Dorcas told Leonie, "He sounds like this." Her voice was high pitched and nasally. Remus threw her a dirty look and turned to Leonie, who would go sit with Dorcas while he'd sit with the boys.

"I'll see you later," he turned to Dorcas, "I'll see you in my nightmares."

"Good to know you dream of me."

"You wish," Remus told her dryly.

"Just shag already," Sirius coughed. Leonie's shouldered giggled at the idea of her two best friends romantically involved while Dorcas burst out into a fit of loud unapologetic laughs.

"Sorry Black, Lupin's just not my type."

"Who is your type?' Sirius wondered with a brow raised. Dorcas turned to Leonie, both of whom smiled secretly,

"Not Lupin," Dorcas repeated before dragging her friend off towards their compartment leaving the two boys to stand in the hallway. Wonder what that meant.

When Leonie and Dorcas entered their compartment Leonie saw that Dorcas' cat Wendel stretched out across one of the seats.

"Hey Wen." Leonie scratched the top of the cat's head as she picked it up and placed it on her lap. It purred loudly.

"I can't believe Sirius told you to shag Remus," Leonie snickered as Dorcas threw herself across the seats opposite to her.

"I know, can't he tell I'm the biggest lesbian in the place?" Leonie laughed.

"Probably not seeing as you're so far in the closet it might as well be a vanishing cabinet." Dorcas flipped the blonde off.

"Besides if anyone's going to shag Lupin it's going to be you, won't it?"

Leonie's cheeks turned a bright shade of pink and she stuck her tongue out at Dorcas. "How about instead of talking about shagging we talk about the girl you were seeing, McKinnon, wasn't it?"

Dorcas frowned, "She gave me the shove." Leonie's jaw dropped instantly.

"What?" The half-Veela hissed, "Why?" Dorcas shrugged.

"She said she wanted to have an-" she used finger quotes, "'An adult relationship.'"

"What a bitch," Leonie muttered. "Just because you can't pay taxes-"

Dorcas' loud laugh cut Leonie off, "She broke up with me because I wouldn't shag her, not because I can't pay taxes! What gave you that idea?"

"You said adult and I thought taxes," Leonie defended herself. Dorcas shook her head at her friends logic.

Across the train, an amused looking Remus Lupin sat propped up against the window and listened to a lovesick James Potter talk about his not so secret crush on Lily Evans.

"-hair, it so nice and-"

"If I have to listen to one more minute of you talk about Evans' hair I'm going to throw myself off the train," Sirius declared, causing both Peter and Remus to snicker at the offended look on James' face.

"Well then what would you rather talk about?" James sassed.

"Anything," Sirius cried, "Hell I'd take listening to Moony lie about not fancying Lenny over how nice Evans' hair is."

Remus turned a bright red, "What do-I don't-she's my friend!" Remus sputtered, "Same as any of you."

"Sure," James said sarcastically as the other two boys snorted.

"She is!"

"Then why don't you prank any girl who asks me out?" Sirius wondered,

"Because you like that attention," Remus defended, "She doesn't, I'm just trying to let blokes know she's off limits."

James' brows shot up, "Off limits?"

"Until she's ready to date," Remus added, his face an almost unnatural shade of pink.

"If she's just like us then why don't carry any of our books?" Peter questioned. Remus turned to the pudgy boy and offered to carry his books for now on as well.

"It's alright Moony," Peter snickered, "You're not my type." Sirius, and James who'd been told by Sirius, laughed as they recalled what Meadowes had said.

"Thanks Wormtail, you're not mine either," Remus told his friend.

"Why? Because I'm not Lenny?" Remus pressed his lips together and checked his watch, when he stood up each of the boys cried out that they were only joking.

"Joking or not, I have a prefects meeting." James perked up, eyes clouding over at the thought of Gryffindors female prefect.

"Talk to Evans' about me!" He told Remus as the werewolf opened the compartment door.

"Tell Lily about the time you nearly blew your buttock off?" Remus rhetorically asked, "Sure!" He then quickly shut the door.

"Don't you dare Lupin!" James shouted at him.

"Sorry I can't hear you, the doors shut!" Remus laughed as he walked off towards the prefect's compartment.

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	5. 1975 bunny rabits and friends

Despite the fact that classes had only been in session for a little more than a week, Leonie already wanted to jump off the Astronomy tower.

Ignoring the burning stares of the group younger males who sat at one of the tables behind her, the young half-Veela pressed the ball of her palms into her eyes and inwardly groaned.

 _Mr. Lyall was wrong,_ she thought woefully, _I'm never going to pass O.W.L's!_

"Hey Lenny." Leonie looked up to see a slightly pink Peter Pettigrew.

The boy, unlike James or Sirius, had a hard time hiding his obvious- and inevitable -attraction twoards her. Though he never let the fact he thought she was pretty interfere with their friendship, something she was greatful for.

"Hey Pete," she smiled, "What're you doing here?" The curly haired male sat his small moutin of History books onto the table and shrugged,

"Studying."

"Alone?" Leoine questioned. I was rare to see the young Pettigrew boy away from his Gryffindor cohorts.

He shrugged, "James is at Quiddtich pratice and Remus is tutoring."

"And Sirius?"

"I think hes turning the Crouch kid green."

"Why?" Leonie snickered, although she didn't know her fellow Slytgerin in he'd always seemed nice from afar.

"No clue," Peter told her. He flipped open the top book and before looking at the table of content wondered where Dorcas was.

"Detention."

"Why, what did she do?" Dorcas Meadowes like trouble- she and her loud mouth and carless attitude were the definition of the word trouble -but she almost never got caught for it.

Leonie grimaced, "Professor Sprout caught her hexing Rosier, apparently he called me a half-breed this morning."

Peter frowned deeply. Angry over the fact someone had called his friend a half-breed and a slut.

"He's such a git," Peter hissed. Leonie shrugged helplessly.

"What are you going to do?"

Peter opened his mouth in response only for the words to catch in his throat.

He wasn't like Remus who would toss aside a wand and tackle anyone who dared to say shit about his friends, he wasn't like James who'd duel them in an empty corridor or like Sirius who'd get back at them through some elaborate, embrassing prank; he was Peter, the friend that always needed to be defended.

"I don't know," he said and Leonie, having felt self-pity radiating off him, reached across the table and sympathetically patted the top of his hand.

His apple green eyes met her blue ones and she smiled at him, telling him that _he was special and cared for and that his- their -friends defended him from bullies because they cared enough to want to protect him, not because he needed it_ , all without ever uttering a single word.

"So," Peter wondered weakly, "What are you studying?"

Leonie retacted her hand from his, "Transfiguration. None of it makes sense."

Peter, who remembered how earilier that day in Transfiguration they were supposed to be transforming tea kettles into rabbits, only for Leonie to turn the metal of her kettle into a beautful white fur and its spout into a tiny cottonball like tail.

"What aren't you understanding?" He asked unsurely. James was Transfiguration genius, so was Sirius, though both his and Remus' hearts laid with Defense. He was only good at Arthmacy.

"The theory work, I have the wand motion and the pronunciation down, I just can't get the spell to work for some reason."

"Have you tried picturing how you want it to go?" Peter wondered. "James says that if I want to transfigure something I just have to imagine it transfiguring while I preform the spell."

Leonie frowned, "No," she told him, "I haven't." She pulled out her ten and a half inch Hawthorne wand from the inside of her robes and held it against the book she had been reading.

She closed her eyes and imagined the book becoming smaller and spotted with long floppy eyes and a tiny pink nose.

" _Lapifors_." A light blue light came from the tip of the wand and slowly Peter watched as the textbook became a tiny black and white spotted rabbit with ears that hung so low they pressed aginst the table top.

Leonie giggled gleefully when she opened her eyes and saw the same rabbit she'd imagined bouncing around the table.

"Its no trouble," Peter told Leonie bashfully after she reached across the table and hugged him. Leonie opened her mouth to tell him that, _Still thank you_ , only to be cut off by the shrill, high pitched voice of Madam Pince.

"Bellamy, Pettigrew, why is there a rabbit in my library?" The librarian was a thin, stick of a woman who always wore her glasses on the tip of her pointed nose.

Everything about the woman was sharp, her tone, her features and her claw like nails.

"Technically it's a textbook, not a rabit," Leonie said, her cheeks flushed pink.

The woman's pale face turned a bright shade of purple. Both Leonie and Peter could feel the eyes of the entire library on them.

"I'm sure you're both awear there are rule prohibiting use of magic in the corridors and destruction of school property," Madam Pince hissed. She crossed her arms over her chest and raised a think brow at the two of them.

"Technically this isn't a corridor so we haven't broken that rule," Peter squeaked. The librarians upper lip twitched, as if she were restraining herself from snarling at them.

For a fleeting moment Leonie wondered if Madam Pince was a descent of a Veela, not second or third; but sixth or seventh down the line. She certainly was a beautiful woman. Leonie also wondered if the woman did pull back her lips and bear her teeth at her and Peter if they'd look normal or would they be razor sharp.

"And technically-" Leonie grabbed the rabbit from the table and held it close to her chest, "-This is my book. So no harm to school property has been done."

Madam Pince shook, like a volcano ready to errupt.

"Get out," she hassed at Leonie and Peter, "Get!" Both teens scrambled for their bags before sprinting out of the library. Neither of them stopped running until they had reached the end of the corridor.

Leoine still had the textbook-rabbit clutched toghtly to her chest. She turned to look at Peter who had doubled over, his hands on his knees and chest heving in an out.

 _You would think_ , Leonie mused to herself, Someone who hung out with Remus and the others would have more experience sprinting from trouble.

She placed the textbook-rabbit into her bag and placed a hand on Peter's shoulder, "Want to start heading down to the Great Hall? Dinner should be starting soon."

Though the boy nodded neither of them moved until a few moments later, when he had caught his breath.

"Sorry we got kicked out before you had a real chance to study," Leonie apologised.

"It's alright, I'll just ask Moony to help me go over todays lession."

Leonie smiled at the mention if those ridcous nicknames they'd come up with third year. They were so dumb, but the sentiment was there-Leonie could eaily imagine two grey haired wizards, Sirius and James, chasing eachothers grandchildren around the yard, still calling one another _Padfoot_ and _Prongs_ , while _Moony_ and _Wormtail_ sat inside not breaking their elderly hips.

"You know Remus is pretty lucky to have you as a friend," Leonie told Peter as they turned down the corridor that lead to the Great Hall.

"You think?" Peter beamed. Leoine nodded.

"Of course, what you and James and Sirius did-are doing for him, it's amazing and I know bith me and Remus have thanked you three a thousand times but-"

"Hello losers!" Both Leonie and Peter turned around to see a smirking Sirius Black and a smiling Remus Lupin.

"Hey Sirius," Leonie said while the dark haired boy clapped Peter on the shoukder.

"What are you two nerds talking about?" Leoine and Peter shared a look and smirked.

"Nothing much," Peter shrugged,

"Just your split ends," Leonie told him. Sirius gasped scandalized as Remus slung and arm around Leoine's shoulders.

"I don't have split ends!" Sirius shrieked.

"I dont know Pads," Remus snickered, "When was the last time you got a hair cut?" Sirius ran his hands down his hair, as if he was trying to sooth it.

"I hate you guys," the pure blood murmured before he theatrically stomped off into the Great Hall.

Peter rolled his eyes when he looked at Remus who was smiling down at Leonie, off in his own littler world.

 _Doesn't fancy her my ass,_ Peter thought. And then when Leoine looked up at Remus and flashed him the same love sick puppy god grin James wore whenever Evans walked into the room, he wondered; _How is he so blind?_

"I should go tells Pads we were joking before he finds Kingsley and starts annoying him," Peter told the two before scurring off.

"So," Remus wondered when Peter entered the Great Hall, "What where you two actually talking about?"

Leonie shrugged, "Just how I'm happy that he and the other two are your friends."

"They're great blokes, arent they?" Remus wondered, only to be closely follwoed by a loud explosion inside the Great Hall.

"We don't know that was them."

"Black! Potter!" A voice angrily yelled over the screms of some students and laughter of others.

"They're what again?" Leonie giggled. Remus stuck his tounge out at her,

"Shut it miss. At least I can transfigure rabbits."

"I can too!" Leonie cried childishly only to reach into her bag and not find the textbook-rabbit Peter had helped her conjure.

"Fuck."

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	6. 1975 full moons and cat fights

Leonie had been eight when she first snuck into the Lupin house. Remus hadn't arrived at the lake in nearly a week and she was worried.

 _Had she done something wrong? Did he not want to be her friend anymore?_

Leonie, having remembered that he lived just over the hill south of the lake, arrived in the Lupins back yard. The house was small, only one floor, it had dark green shutters that blended in with the forest that surrounded the house and if the wondows had been ooendd she would have heard Remus' mother Hope singing off key in the kitchen.

The young girl crept past the kitchen window, making sure not to be seen by the woman whod she one day grow to love as her own mother. Leonie careful peeked into every window until she found Remus'.

The boy in question sat on his bed aginst the wall reading a thick book.

Leonie quietly knocked on his window. His head snapped away from his book, his shoulders stiff until they saw it was Leonie at his window.

Remus set his book aside and snuck over to the window, "What are you doing here?" He hissed when he opened it.

"Looking for you," thr blonde told him, "You haven't been at the lake in days, I got worried."

Remus smiled softly at that. _She cared_.

"I've been sick," Remus told her, and she nodded. Anyone with eyes could see he was sick, his skin was incredibly pale, his brown hair stuck to his forehead and there were dark bags under his eyes.

"I can tell, it's not congeatous is it?" She wondered.

"No," Remus told her, "It's not. And I think the word you meant was infectious." She did not; Leonie in fact meant contagious but since neither child knew thr applicable word the conversation moved along.

"Can I come in?" Leonie asked. Remus pressed his lips togetger and thought about for a moment.

"Okay but you have to be really quite. My mum's home."

"I know," Leonie told him, climbing through the window, "I saw her through the kitchen window. She's very pretty."

"Thanks," Remus smiled.

"Now get under your covers before yiu get more sick," Leonie instructed.

"You're not my mum." Remus climbed under his covers anyway. Leonie looked around the room and spotted an empty glass cup, covered in pictures of the sea, atop his dresser.

She grabbed it before sitting on his bed.

"What are you doing?" Remus wondered. Leonie smiled kindly at him.

"I want to show you something, but you can't tell anyone about it. Ever." She sounded so serious.

"I promise." Leonie nodded and then something that made the young boys eyes widen happened.

Her palms, pressed toghtly aginst the glass started glowling; heating up causing lights to dance around the inside of the cup, illuminating each picture, making each one seem much more real.

"Whoa," Remus breathed, "How're you doing that?" Leonie looked up and stopped.

"You won't hate me if I tell you I'm not entirely human, will you?" Remus, for a second, froze.

She wasn't- _she was like him._

"As long as you don't hate me for not being completely human too." Leonie grinned.

"You're half-Veela?" Remus had no idea what a Veela was. He shook his head and Leonie frowned.

"I'm a werewolf." Leonie stiffen like the Healers at St. Mungos, she didn't reel back like his fathers parents had when they learned their only grandchild had been bitten. Instead Leonie smiled at him.

"That's why you haven't been at the lake? Because of the full moon?" Suddenly everything made sense. The scars on his body that he'd said had come from a dog attack, and how he always found her when they played hide and seek.

"So all those times you found me? You are such a cheater Remus Lupin," she giggled. Remus tried to look guiltly.

And so the two contuined to talk and giggle quietly until his father came home and Leonie had to sneak out through his wondow, thus starting the tradition of never letting Remus suffer alone the day of or after his transformations.

Something they contuined well into their years at Hogwarts. Something not everyone was happy about.

"She's a Slytherin!" Mary MacDonald snapped, she shot Lily Evans a frustrated look.

"She's Remus' friend, I'm not kicking her out if she hasn't done anything wrong," Lily Evans replied as Sirius caught Leonies forearm to stop her from leaving.

Mary's eyes narrowed as Sirius and Leonie started talking quietly between themselves.

"She's probably just come back from screwing Lupin, like that's not breaking a few rules." Lily crossed her arms over her chest annoyed with her roomates behavior.

"Remus is sick, they're friend's. Honesty Mary," Lily stood up from her seat on the couch and looked down at Mary, "You've had this hatred for her ever since second year for no other reason then she's half Veela."

"Exactly," Mary snapped.

"Grow up," Lily Evans hissed. The red head then spun on her heel and stormed up to her dorm to read in peace.

Mary glared at her roomates back before turning the icy look back onto the half-human.

The brunette then threw herself off the couch and stormed over to the two friends, "In case you haven't noticed Bellamy, this is the Gryffindor common room."

Leonie looked past Sirius and glared at the girl who, if she felt like being dramatic, she could easily call her archenemy.

Sirius turned to the brunette girl and gave her a cold look.

"Really? I couldn't tell, thanks for the update MacDonald," Leonie sassed. Mary's fists clenched.

 _Veelas_ , Mary's mother had once said, _They act like they own everything._

"I don't think you understood. This is the Gryffindor common room, you're not a Gryffindor. Get out."

Sirius opened his mouth to snap back at his housemate only for Leonie to cut him off, "I'll leave when I'm done talking with my friend."

Mary let out a cold, sarcastic laugh. Teens that littered the common room turned away from what they'd been doing to look up at the two girls.

"Friend? Please the only reason Black or Lupin or anyone else hangs around you is because you're half Veela and they want to shag you. Take that away and you'd be all alone, freak."

For a moment Leonie went deaf, the only thing she could hear was her own heart pounding loudly in her ears. She clenched her jaw. Leonie focused on not transforming; she focused on keeping her palms fire ball free and her nails staying they way they were and not turning into razor sharp claws.

"Well at least I have friends MacDonald, what do you have? Your sad excuse of a mother and what? Your owl?" Sirius' eyes widened as his jaw hung slightly open.

Leonie had always been mean when pushed past a certin point but that; that had been vicious. A verbal slaughtering.

"You have nothing," Leonie continued, "So run away and leave me and my friend alone. Got it?"

Leonie could feel her face start to lengthen, even against her better judgement. Sirius shifted his weight between his legs and rested a comforting hand on the half-Veela's arm.

"Now fuck off before I set you on fire." Mary, for a moment froze as she gaped at Leonie's transformed figure.

 _Freak_ , rang in Leonie's ears, over the drumming of her heart. _Monster_. But Leonie didn't break. And in order to make sure she got her point across, Leonie lifted her left hand only for flamed to erupt from her finger tips.

And then MacDonald snapped out of her transes and as if she were a dog with her tail between her legs, scampered off and up the stairs to her dorm.

Once she was out of sight Leonie could feel her face go back to normal and the heat in her fingers extinguish. She could also feel tears start to could her vision as Sirius' fellow Gryffindors contuined to look at her as if she were some sort of side show act.

Her shoulders were still stiff as a board and her jaw was still clenched tightly.

She turned to Sirius, "I'm going to go meet up with Dorcas, let Remus know I'll meet him in the hall tomorrow like usual."

Sirius nodded and kept his hand on her arm a moment longer.

"You know what MacDonald said isn't true right?" He asked lowly, "We hang around you because you're a great friend, not because we want to shag you."

Leonie smiled at him, though it didn't reach her misty eyes, "Of course."

And then she left. Her mother's voice echoed through her mind; _Be careful out there, men, they'll say ome thing, promise you friendship, but they only want one thing and they will use any trick up their sleeve to get it._


	7. 1975 the morning after

The next morning Remus Lupin woke up in the shrieking shack with a smile on his face. His body ached terribly and due to the pain that emanated from his wrist he was sure at some point during the night had sprained it, but there was no blood pooling around him, nor would there be any new scars.

He looked up from his place on the floor to see three animals- a stag, a large black dog, and a tiny rat -curled up in the corner of the room, asleep. Remus grabbed the blanket from the bed and used it to cover himself; if his clothes weren't locked up in the cupboard outside the room they'd never survive the night.

"Prongs," Remus hissed, he didn't want to get up and physically wake them but Madam Promfrey, the school healer would be here soon, "Padfoot!" The stag started to stir.

"Wormtail! Prongs!" Remus reached onto the bed once more, only to grab a pillow, "Wake up!" He threw the pillow at the three animals with such a force that the rat fell from the spot on the dogs head and onto the wooden floor with a high pitched squeak.

Suddenly the animals were awake, and then, in the blink of an eye, they were no longer animals. Instead, three disheveled Gryffindor boys stood there. Remus sat up and leaned against the bed.

"What the fuck Moony?" Peter grumbled as he rubbed his eyes.

"The sun's up! Madam Pomfrey will be here soon!" Suddenly the boys were more alert. If the healer caught the three boys here before her and without a scratch on them she'd wonder just how they managed to evade a werewolf. And if she got her answers it'd meantime in Azkaban.

"Alright, before we get going do you need anything? Water?" James wondered. Remus shook his head.

"No, no, just go-and be careful." The three boys nodded, only to stop short of the door when Remus called out for them to wait.

"Thank you," the werewolf said earnestly. Each boy smiled at him, James gave a large lopsided grin and Sirius pulled back his top lip so that his top row of teeth were showing and Peter beamed at him like a small child getting recognition from their parent.

"'s no sweat Moons," Sirius told the boy, "Happy to help out a friend. You do the same for one us." And then with a nod of the head from Remus boys were gone, only to shortly be replaced by a middle-aged healer.

She didn't comment on his lack of cuts or that the room, for the first time in five years, was still the same way he'd left it before. Instead she helped set him on the bed and slowly helped him change into his pants.

"Now Mr. Lupin," the woman fussed as buttoned his pants. "What hurts?"

"My wrist," Remus told her shyly as he held out his arm to her. The woman delicately took hold of and pressed the pads of her fingers against the skin; Remus hissed in pain as she turned it over so his palm was facing up.

"It seems to be you've sprained your wrist Mr. Lupin." Remus nodded his head.

Thought so. Madam Pomfrey pointed her wand against the skin of his wrist.

"Episkey," the healer said clearly. The skin was still swollen to the touch but the pain had disappeared instantaneously.

"Thank you Madam Pomfrey," Remus said after he slipped on his sweater. Thankfully it had been a Sunday which meant all he had to do was go to breakfast to maintain the air of normality and then pass out in his dorm.

"You're welcome Mr. Lupin." Remus wondered, as they existed the Shrieking Shack and walked the underground trail, _Would Madam Pomfrey ever not call him Mr. Lupin?_ If there would be a day she'd address him as Remus-he had been under her care more times then he'd ever care to admit, and the woman at times did act like his mother, asking him, as they wandered up to the school, how his grades and friends were.

"Well Mr. Lupin," the healer said as they came to a stop at the large Hogwarts entrance, "This is where I tell you to go eat and then take it easy for the rest of the day. We don't need you falling asleep in another potions class, do we?"

And then, with a kind smile, she left, leaving Remus to wonder, as he walked towards the Great Hall, just how she'd known he'd fallen asleep in Slughorn class earlier that week when he hadn't told her.

As Remus approached the Great Hall he noticed both Meadowes and Leonie quietly arguing outside the doors of the Hall, something which unsettled him because the two never fought. While he and Leonie were a team, two halves that completed a whole well-oiled machine that yes, at times broke down momentarily, but she and Dorcas, in the five years they'd known one another never had that problem, they never fought.

"-ore careful-," Dorcas hissed.

"Is everything okay here?" Remus questioned, his eyes narrowed suspiciously at Meadowes who, like she always had, had given him a cold look. Leonie jumped at the sound of Remus's voice.

"Yes!" she squeaked, only to register a few seconds later that it was Remus she was talking to. The half-Veela jumped into the werewolf's arms, which he didn't hesitate to wrap around her middle in order to catch her.

She tilted her head back and smiled widely at him, "You're okay?"

Remus looked down at her and noticed that she was wearing an old green jumper of his, that once he'd grown out of, he'd given her. Or maybe it was one of the ones she stole. Half his wardrobe was probably in her trunk.

"Great," he told her tiredly. Her smiled slightly dimmed. Leonie let go of Remus and turned to Dorcas,

"I'll meet you inside, save me set next to you, okay?"

"You mean you're going to go sit next to Lupin and his mates," Dorcas crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back on the heels of her platforms.

Leonie frowned, "No I mean I'm going to sit next to you." Dorcas huffed at her friend but said nothing, and instead stormed into the Great Hall.

Remus looked at Leonie worriedly, "Is everything okay?"

"Of course," Leonie waved him off, "Now how are you, really? I haven't seen the boys yet-did it work?"

Remus knew she was lying, that she'd changed the subject on purpose, but as he looked into Leonie's sad, worried eyes he felt compelled to reassure her that he was okay. That for once everything was okay.

"I wouldn't be here if I didn't," Remus said. Leonie's hand cupped the side of his face and her thumb traced under the bags under his eyes.

"I-," Even though he had never studied in legilimency he knew Leonie well enough to practically hear the words she wasn't saying.

 _I'm so happy. I'm glad you never have to go through another full moon alone. I'm proud that the boys managed to pull off such advanced magic. I'm so happy._

Instead of saying verbally anything Remus pulled Leonie closer to him and rested his chin on her head and wondered just how he got so lucky to have all these amazing people in his life.

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	8. 1975 threats made of good intentions

To any other Hogwarts students, it would seem after their squabble at breakfast that morning Dorcas and Leonie had made up. But Remus Lupin was not just any other Hogwarts student, he was a Marauder, and Leonie's best friend.

Which is why after Charms the Friday following the full moon Remus tracked Dorcas Meadowes down with the use of his and his friend's pride and joy; the Marauder Map.

The map was one of a kind, something that'd never been done before, it showed each and every hall, student, teacher and secret passageway in- and out of -Hogwarts.

Which is how he found the dark-skinned female tucked away in the library.

"Meadowes," Remus greeted as he stood across the table from her.

"Lupin?" Her eyebrows came together, "What the bloody fuck do you want?"

"Why are you Lenny fighting?" _You two never fight._

The concept had always used to bug the werewolf but now that the two had fought, and Lenny constantly looked upset, he'd much rather go back in time and have the two girls closer than ever then spend another dinner watching the two across the hall in an obviously tense silence.

"We're not fighting," Meadowes told him dully. Remus pulled out the chair across from her and leaned forward.

"Not fighting my arse, you two don't talk anymore. Why?" Meadowes sighed through her nose.

"Because your girlfriends being an idiot!" Meadowes snapped.

"Don't call her an idiot," Remus practically snarled. He didn't deny that Leonie wasn't his girlfriend because Meadowes knew that she wasn't. She wasn't like Sirius or James who'd take the Mickey out of him for not denying it, so there was no point in stating the obvious. Even if his gut somewhat twisted at the fact that he and Lenny weren't dating; that they were just friends.

Meadowes pressed her lips together for a moment and breathed in deeply, "Look, Lupin, I'm not calling Leonie an idiot because she is one. She's not, I wouldn't be best friends with an idiot, but the reason I'm calling her that because she's acting like one."

"And why's she acting like one?"

"Because she won't just ignore Rosier and his mates."

"What's Rosier done that you want her to ignore?" Remus questioned tensely. Evan Rosier was an older boy, a seventh year pure blood somewhat related to Sirius- _but then again, weren't all purebloods somehow related to Sirius_ -who had never been found of the idea of having a half-breed in his house. But Sirius had claimed he was all talk and that Remus shouldn't worry about Leonie.

"Everything!" Dorcas snapped, "Every night since term started Rosier and his little gang hang out in the common room and he goes on how mudbloods-" Dorcas spits the dirty word, "And half-breeds like Leonie are stains in this school and how in a few months when he graduates he'll make sure they know it."

Red flooded Remus's vision. His blood turned to fire and for a moment he stopped breathing. "He threatened her?" He growled.

"Yes, and she won't back down! She keeps saying how she can't just back down because if she does now she'll never stop!"

"She's right!" Remus snapped back. Meadowes gave Remus an angry look.

"I don't think you or Leonie understand, Rosier is dangerous. He acts like he's fine with murdering people, and to be honest Lupin I think he is, so pray tell me what's stopping him from finding a way up the girl's dormitory one night and murdering Leonie in her sleep?"

"I'd kill him," Remus told Meadowes dangerous. The girl eyed him cautiously for a moment before nodding in agreement.

"I would too, but that wouldn't change the fact she'd be dead."

A silence fell over the two.

"She could come sleep with me and guys," Remus said. Meadowes raised an eyebrow at him, questioning what the fuck he was going on about.

"Rosier does this at night?" Meadowes nodded, "Well Lenny can just come with me and boys after dinner if she's really in danger."

Meadowes snorted, "You want a half-Veela to stay in a boys dormitory?" Remus shot her a heated look,

"None of us would try anything, you know that."

"And I'm not saying that you or your boy band would, I'm just wondering about the thirty other Gryffindor boys who'd suddenly think of sneaking into your dorm."

"They wouldn't dare." Meadowes rolled her eyes at Remus' dark look.

"Honestly Lupin, there's no need to move the girl in with you, just go talk to Leonie and tell her to ignore Rosier."

"Alright." Though Remus liked his idea better. That way he could make sure Leonie was okay each night and be the first to make sure she was just as okay as the previous night when morning came.

"Good, now go away, I was studying." Remus stood up as Meadowes went back to her the History of Magic textbook she'd been reading.

"Whatever Meadowes," Remus said, "I'd say thanks for the talk but-" Her dark brown eyes flickered up to his whiskey-colored ones,

"-I was talking with you? I know I feel the exact same way." Merlin what a cow.

Remus exited the library, thinking of just what to say to Leonie when an even better idea popped into his head. He'd still talk to his best friend, tell her to leave the git be for the time being, to ignore him, but only after he made sure Rosier knew what'd be in store if he once more so much as looked at Leonie wrong.

Remus stopped in the middle of the corridor to make sure there was no one else round before he pulled the map and his wand out of his back pocket.

He pressed his want to the currently blank parchment.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." Suddenly ink started to appear across the folded page until the words _Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs are proud to present the MARAUDER'S MAP._

Remus quickly flipped open the map and searched the grounds for the name of one slimy Evan Rosier. As his eyes skimmed the page Remus seemed to find everyone but Rosier.

Sirius and Margaret Walters were in the fifth-floor broom cupboard, Lily Evans was with Severus Snape in the Great Hall, James and Leonie and Peter were walking up the trails back to the castle, and Evan Rosier and Avery Wilkes were by the Black Lake.

The werewolf quickly pocketed the map and marched off towards the lake with his wand in hand. He knew that he promised his mother he wouldn't get into too much trouble, and fighting was high prohibited, but Evan Rosier had threatened Leonie and he was lucky he respected Dumbledore too much to murder him where he stood.

Remus, nearly blinded by rage over the fact someone had threatened his best friend, nearly ran down Lily Evans and Severus Snape.

"Sorry Lily," Remus apologised. Snape glared at him, and for once Remus did not hesitate to glare back. Remus was good at pretending Snape wasn't there- he wasn't worth his time and there was no reason to give the slimeball the time of day -but he was friends with Rosier.

"Where are you off you?" Lily questioned, "You look like you're ready to murder someone."

"I'm looking for Rosier," he told her, his eyes flickered back to Snape before looking Lily in the eyes, "Apparently he and mates have been mouthing off about muggle-borns and Leonie in the common room." The dark haired boy stiffened as Lily frowned.

"What do you mean mouthing off?"

"He threatened her."

"Did Bellamy tell you that?" Snape hissed. Remus glared at the boy and opened his mouth to tell the Slytherin to shut up, only for Lily to ask what had Rosier said.

"No, but apparently," Remus looked at Lily, "He's been told her that when he graduates he'll make sure that half-breeds like Leonie and muggle-borns-" _like you Lily_ , "Know they don't belong at Hogwarts." Lily turned to Severus, her oldest friend, hurt.

"Sev, is that true?"

"Of course not," Snape told Lily, "Rosier never said that."

"Then what did he say? Because I sure as hell would love to know." It wasn't the full moon, nor was it anywhere close to that time of the month but the rage that flowed through Remus felt so hot and inhuman, if the werewolf has stopped and thought for a moment, he'd realise he'd never once felt that level of fury before. Not even as Moony.

Severus turned to Lily, "He said that Bellamy should leave before she's forced out-" he then turned to Remus, "This is a school for witch and wizards not-" Remus took his wand out and pointed it at the end of Snape's hooked nose. He hadn't cared that Lily, a fellow prefect was there to witness, or that at any moment a professor could walk by and see him threatening a student.

"Remus!" Lily's eyes widened. Potter and Black were always the ones to hex people in the corridors, Remus was level-headed and even though she knew Severus deserved one good bat-bogey hex to the face, she couldn't help but be surprised at her fellow housemate and Prefects lack of control.

"Leonie is a far more component in magic than you'll ever be."

"Moony!" Remus did not put his wand way when he heard James Potter's voice. Nor did he look away from empty dark eyes of Severus Snape. He felt James stop next to his left shoulder while Peter hovered behind him and Leonie stood to his right.

"What's going on here?" James asked, his eyes narrowed on the Snape boy. When Remus didn't answer James turned to the redhead. "Evans?"

"Severus was going to apologize for being a git." Snape looked at Lily with disbelief in his eyes.

"Weren't you Sev?" The boy glared at Leonie, who glared back before her turned to Lupin, whos wand had not wavered from the tip of his nose and mumbled something that sounded like a _Sorry._

"Didn't hear that," James scoffed, his own hand stuffed in the pocket of his robe, fingers wound tightly around his wand, ready to pull it out at any second.

"Sorry," Snape spat disingenuously. Remus did not lower his wand, so Leonie wrapped her fingers around his wrist and pulled it away from her housemates face, "Remus accepts your apology."

"Just let Rosier know," Remus said, "If he even thinks about going near Leonie he's got another thing coming. Got it?" Lily didn't wait for Severus to nod before she dragged him away.

"What was that all about Moony?" Peter asked. Remus like a parent who'd just been informed that their child had broken a rule, ignored his friend's question and turned on Leonie.

"Were you planning on telling me Rosier had threatened you?"

"He what?" James' voice shrilly wondered. Leonie looked at James and Remus.

"It's nothing, really." But Remus turned to James, "Meadowes told me that Rosier all but threatened to kill her." Peter choked on his own saliva.

"And you didn't tell us?" The rat animagus shrieked. Leonie rubbed the back of her neck with her hand.

"He didn't threaten to kill me," she denied.

"Then what did he do?" Remus asked.

Leonie opened her mouth only to close it. "So he threatened me, but I can handle it myself, I don't need any knights in shining armor or any heroes to rescue me. I can do it myself."

Remus placed both his palms on her shoulders and he looked into her bright blue eyes, _how had he never noticed how beautiful they were?_

"I know you can, you're a great witch Lenny, I just want to be sure you're safe. I'd lose my mind if something happened to you can I could have prevented it, okay?"

Leonie nodded and placed her hands on top of Remus' and James turned to Peter with a questioning look - _Am I this bad when I talk about Evans?_

Peter nodded.

"James had to seduce the giant squid." Remus's head snapped to look at his friend who's cheeks darkened.

"I did not-I mean I did but-tell him the whole story!" James cried while both Peter and Leonie cackled at their friend's misfortune.

"I don't think I want to know any more Prongs," Remus snickered at his friend.

"You guys suck!"


	9. 1975 trick or treat or heartache

Ever since their third year Remus, James and Peter had thrown a Halloween-slash-Birthday party for Sirius in their common room. And each year it got bigger, louder and somehow by the end of the night those who drank the smuggled Fire Whiskey got drunker than they had the year prior.

Which is Leonie didn't like to attend, drunk boys were something no woman liked, epically half-Veelas. And yet Remus Lupin always pleaded with her to come. He always promised to stay by her side and to of course, let Meadowes into the party as well.

"You know you can have some fun, right?" Remus asked Leonie as the two stood by the wall closest to the girls dormitory incase Leonie needed to make a quick get away from a boy who couldn't quite get the hint that she wasn't interested.

"I know," she told him dryly, "It's just parties aren't my thing you know that."

Remus and the other Marauders had dressed up as the muggle band KISS, makeup and all, Dorcas had chosen to attend the party in a Chiton and called herself Circes while Leonie had not come as anything.

The girl hadn't been able to find herself a costume that wasn't skin tight or reveling and instead chose to dress herself in bell bottoms and a dark green sweater that was far too big for her. It was most likely one of Remus'.

"Do you want to dance?" Remus wondered causally. He had never liked dancing but Leonie always had and it was a party, she was supposed to smile so wide her cheeks turned pink and her eyes squinted just a little and his knees felt weak because in those carefree moments under the enchanted disco ball James had charmed he could understand why normal men threw themselves at Veela and their kin.

Leonie raised a brow at him, "Has someone spiked your drink?" Remus snorted into his third cup of Fire Whiskey.

"No you square, I just want you to have fun." Leonie looked at the makeshift dance floor and nodded, "Alright but you can't just say you're tired after one song. We stop when I want to."

"Fine." Remus placed his empty cup on the windowsill and took her wrist in his hand and dragged her into the decently sized crowd.

The first song they danced to was Bye Bye Baby by the Bay City Rollers. Remus spun her under his arm while she giggled. The second song was David Bowie's Space Oddity, Remus pretended to shimmy because somewhere between her laughter Leonie had told him to _Shake what Hope gave him._ The third song was Queen's Bohemian Raspberry. No one actually danced to the song, instead the party goers decided to badly, and loudly, belt out the lyrics.

"Moony!" James Potter called out once the song had ended, his speech was slightly slurred and his black and white makeup was mostly smeared, "Moony! Lenny! We're about to play Truth or Dare!"

Remus turned to Leonie, "I can't keep dancing."

"You agreed to stop when I was done mister." Leonie's blunt nail poked at his leather covered chest. The werewolf pouted at her.

"Come on Lenny, I won't even make Meadowes do anything too embarrassing." Dorcas had sat herself in the half formed circle, next to James, who Leonie now noticed had a small cauldron of something in his lap.

"Fine. But so help me Lupin I'm dragging you shopping with me next time we have a Hogsmeade trip."

Remus shrugged, "Fine by me, you look good in everything so it's not like I have a hard job." Leonie blushed.

Renus was drunk, or at least mostly tipsy, he didn't know what he was saying, and yet Leonie couldn't help but take the words to heart.

When Leonie sat down next to Dorcas, and Remus sat down on her other side, Leonie had counted fourteen people playing. Seven girls and seven boys.

"Alright," James clapped as Peter passed around a cup filled with whatever potion was in James lap, "We have a dew rules, first; in the cup is veniserum, meaning if you pick truth you'll be telling the truth. Second; no daring anyone anything life threatening. We don't need to kill our buzz by having to hide some blokes body. Third, if you dare someone something they don't want to do-" Leonie and everyone in the circle knew he meant sexual "-Then to get out of it they have to take a sip from this-" James held up an unopened bottle of fire whiskey, "Is that clear?"

Everyone in the circled said yes. Once everyone had finished the veniserum in the cups James placed the cauldron to the side and the bottle in the middle.

He spun the bottle and it landed on Peter.

"Pete, truth or dare?"

"Truth," the pudgy boy answered.

"Baby!" Sirius jeered.

"Its whatever Pads, Pete, is it true you stole my candy last week?"

"Yes!"

"Thief!" James shouted, finger pointed at the bashful looking boy. "Sorry James."

Peter spun the bottle and it landed on Jeremy Allen, a blonde sixth year boy. He had come dressed as Merlin.

"Truth or dare?"

"Dare." The blonde sixth year puffed out his chest. His eyes found Leonie's and he winked at her. She shifted uncomfortably.

"Go tell the fat lady she has a terrible voice." The boys chest fell.

"She'll never let me in after that!" He cried. Peter shrugged. Jeremy Allen stood up anyway and pushed open the portrait hole.

"Excuse me?" He asked the painting.

"What is it boy?"

"Why's it you sing? I mean, you're terrible at it," Jeremy told it. The Fat Lady glared that the Gryffindor.

"How dare you! You rude-" Jeremy didn't bother to wait around to listen to the rest of the sentence and instead raced back to his spot between a cackling Sirius and a snickering Lily Evans.

Jeremy spun the bottle with a huff. It landed on Leonie.

"Bellamy, truth or dare?"

"Truth," the half-Veela answered. She didn't know this boy, not like she knew Remus, James or Siris or Peter. Truth was the safe option.

"Who was your first kiss?" Jeremy asked with cheeky grin. Leonie felt her cheeks heat up.

"No one," she told the circle, "I've never been kissed."

"Really?" Jeremy blinked, "With the way Lupin hangs off ya I'd have thought you'd have at least kissed him." Both Remus and Leonie glared at the boy.

Leonie spun the bottle and it landed on Sirius. "Truth or dare?"

"Dare," Sirius automatically replied. Remus, with a wolfish grin on his face, leaned into Leonie and whispered an idea into her ear. The half-Veela smiled wickedly.

"I dare you to charm Allen bald," Leonie told him. Jeremy glared at the half-Veela.

"What just beca-Black don't you-" Jeremy was cut off by his hair falling to the ground around him.

"You're all bitches!" Jeremy spat before he stormed up the boys staircases.

Sirius spun the bottle and it landed on Lily Evans. She was dressed up as Zoot from the muggle picture Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

"Truth or Dare Evans?" The red haired witch narrowed her eyes analytically vecore cautiously telling him, "Truth."

"Boring-fine Evans why do you hang around with the likes of Snape?"

Lily glared at the boy, "Because he's my friend, Black." She didn't wait to hear his response before she spun the still unopened bottle of Fire Whiskey. It landed on Dorcas.

"Truth or Dare?"

"Dare," Dorcas said confidently. Lily pressed her lips together as the thought of what the girl could do. Her greens eyes quickly found the refreshment table.

"I dare you to eat the lemon that's sitting by the Ogdans." Dorcas nodded and summoned the lemon to her.

"Rind and all?" The Slytherin questioned once the lemon was in her hand.

"Rind and all." Dorcas took a large bite from the lemon and her face twisted but she swallowed it anyway.

She finished the whole lemon in just under five minutes; though by the end of it fer face was pale and her lips were puckered together. Leonie placed a hand on her friends shoulder.

"You okay Dorcas?" The girl in questioned nodded.

Dorcas then reached for the bottle and spun. It landed on Mary MacDonald. Though the pale green tinge didn't fade from Dorcas' face the girl smiled evilly.

"Truth or dare MacDonald?"

The girl was quiet for a moment. "Truth."

"Why are you such a bitch to Leonie? And I don't mean why do you hate her-why do you hate Veela's?" Leonie looked at her best friend who shrugged. If MacDonald had picked Dare Dorcas would have made her chug the open bottle of Ogdans until she had gotten sick in front of everyone, embarrassing her.

Mary opened her mouth only to clamp both hands over it. She glared at Dorcas.

"Come on MacDonald," Dorcas said almost viciously, "You picked truth. Now tell the truth."

"Because my dad ran off with a Veela before I was born!" Leonie blinked at Mary's confession as a heavy pit formed in her stomach.

Men running off on their families for Veela's, who didn't even want them, was reason the human female population tended to reject the magical women.

Mary, with a bitter expression on her face spun the bottle. It landed on Remus.

"Truth or dare Lupin?"

"Dare." Mary caught Leonies eye and sneered. "Dare you to snog me."

Leonies heart stopped. She turned to Remus, who looked confused on why the girl who hated his best friend would want to snog him, and felt Dorcas grab her hand.

"I think I'll take a drink instead," Remus said after a moment. Mary pouted as Remus rached for the bottle. "Come on Lupin I didn't think you were such a chicken."

"Remus isn't a chicken Macdonald, he just has standard's," Leonie snapped. Any sympathy she felt towards the other female was gone.

"Oh please, standards my arse, the whole reason Lupin follows you around is because he wants to snog you-and you aren't even human!"

"Thats a lie MacDonald and you know it!" Remus snapped, "I hang around Lenny because she's my friend, not because I want to snog her."

"But you want to snog her? Don't you?" Mary sneered.

"No I don't! Snogging Lenny would be like snogging James or any of my other mates!" Leonie felt her heart drop into her stomach. She knew that developing a crush on her best friend wouldn't lead anywhere, that she'd end up disappointed and hurt but to hear him say it-

"I think I'm going to be sick," Dorcas moaned. Leonie grabbed Dorcas by the elbow and hoisted her up.

"I think I should get her back to our common room," Leonie announced, she turned to Sirius "Happy birthday Sirius."

She didn't see MacDonald look victorious as she lead Dorcas out the portrait hole. Nor did she see the glares Sirius and Lily shot at MacDonald.

She did hear Remus ask if she needed help getting Dorcas to the dungeons. Leonie waved him off, she felt sick herself and the farther she got from him the less she'd have to hide her tears.

Dorcas stopped moaning about her stomach when they got closer to the dungeons. Her hands left her stomach and the queasy look on her face disappeared. Dorcas turned to Leonie and frowned.

"You okay Leonie?" Leonie, with watery eyes nodded.

"Of course. What about you? I should probably get you back to the dorm so you can rest."

"Leonie I'm not sick, I just saw that you needed to get away from MacDonald and Lupin."

"Thank you," Leonie whispered as a tear slipped down her face. How could she be so stupid to ever have developed feelings for her best friend?

"Hey," Dorcas ran her hands up and down her arms, "Lupin's an idiot for not wanting to snog you. Okay?" Though the words didn't make her feel any better Leonie nodded.

"So the git can't see the best thing in his life is right in front of him, there's a million other blokes that do want you."

"Remus isn't a git for not wanting me," Leonie told Dorcas.

"We'll agree to disagree, in the meantime I have crystallized pineapple in my trunk with your name on it. Hows that sound?"

"Really good-and Dorcas?"

"Yeah?"

"You're a great friend."

"I know Leonie. I know."

* * *

 **word count: 2116**  
 **a/n: poor leonie; to know**  
 **loves keen sting.**  
 **oh whelp i got more angst coming your way for the low price of five comments!**


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